FMCSA 02-05
Contact: Bill MacLeod,  Tel.: (202) 366-8810
Tuesday, May 17, 2005

FMCSA Fines Five Motor Carriers for Multiple Household Goods Violations

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced today it has assessed penalties for multiple violations of Federal Motor Carrier Commercial Regulations (FMCCRs) against five motor carriers hauling household goods from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York.

Cross County Van Lines, LLC, of Ridgefield, NJ; Eagle Van Lines Moving & Storage of Jersey City, NJ; Eveco Transportation Services, doing business as Maier’s Relocation Service of Upper Darby, PA; USA Express Moving & Storage, Inc. doing business as USA Express Moving of Bristol, PA; and White Glove Moving & Storage, Inc., of Jersey City, NJ, were served with Notice of Claim letters to initiate enforcement action for violations of the FMCCRs. The carriers were assessed civil penalties of $7,500; $12,100; $5,890; $9,900; and $11,200 respectively.

Cross Country Van Lines, LLC, of Ridgefield, NJ, was cited for failing to follow the loss and damage claims procedures; failing to provide a summary of its complaint and inquiry program and a summary of its dispute settlement program; failing to prepare orders for service in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare bills of lading in the prescribed form and manner; and failing to obtain weight tickets in the prescribed form and manner.

Eagle Van Lines Moving & Storage of Jersey City was cited for failing to provide a summary of its complaint and inquiry program; failing to provide a summary of its dispute settlement program; failing to prepare estimates in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare orders for service in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare bills of lading in the prescribed form and manner; and operating a charge card plan without a tariff provision.

Eveco Transportation Services, doing business as Maier’s Relocation Service of Upper Darby, PA, was cited for filing false reports or records; failing to provide a summary of its complaint and inquiry program; failing to publish a tariff; failing to participate in a dispute settlement program; failing to weigh shipments in the prescribed form and manner; and unauthorized transportation.

USA Express Moving & Storage, Inc. doing business as USA Express Moving of Bristol, PA, was cited for failing to follow the loss and damage claims procedures; failing to advertise in the prescribed form and manner; failing to assess and collect its applicable tariff rate; failing to prepare orders for service in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare bills of lading in the prescribed form and manner; and unauthorized transportation.

White Glove Moving & Storage, Inc., of Jersey City, NJ, was cited for failing to follow the loss and damage claims procedures; failing to provide a summary of its dispute settlement program; failing to prepare estimates in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare orders for service in the prescribed form and manner; failing to prepare bills of lading in the prescribed form and manner; failing to obtain weight tickets in the prescribed form and manner; and operating a charge card plan without a tariff provision.

The motor carriers can contest the alleged violations and the amount of penalties in an agency proceeding. These investigations were prompted by consumer complaints received by FMCSA. Since 2002, FMCSA has levied fines totaling more than $945,000 against 29 household goods movers for violations of Federal regulations. The largest fine against a single mover was $302,000.

Consumers may file complaints about household goods movers by calling FMCSA's nationwide complaint hotline, 1-888-368-7238 (1-888 DOT-SAFT) or by going to http://www.1-888-dot-saft.com on the Internet. A commercial complaint form also is available on FMCSA's Web site at http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.  The form may be mailed or faxed to: FMCSA, 400 Seventh St., SW, MC-CM, Washington, DC 20590. The fax number is 202-366-7298.

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